Ixias alticola (Pendlebury, 1933)

Denizen of the hill stations and montane environment. It flies in the earlier part of the morning when the sun is full, visiting flowers like Lantana and Mikania. It is usually very skittish and avoid human presence. Females have white background colour and white apical band over black markings while males have an orange apical tip. The undersides are indistinguishable from other species of Ixias, which is a rich yellow ground colour with various degree of mottling.

Habitat indicator

RSP	WV	PG	VF	FTR	SC	LWDF	LWPF	LMEF	UMN	MN
								x	x

Frequency observation chart: (S marks the usual occurences, H marks an unusually high occurence, F for first record)

2016
Jan	Feb	Mac	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
										S5	S5

2017
Jan	Feb	Mac	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
S5	S5			S5	S5

2018
Jan	Feb	Mac	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec

Above pictures of a female: 25 Feb 2017

13:12

 Females of this species is easily distinguished from others by the white markings.

 13:24

 13:25

 13:25

 13:29

13:29

Above pictures of a female: 10 June 2017

The Yellow Orange Tip, Ixias pyrene birdi (Distant)

The females can be mistaken for a very large Eurema nicevillei in flight because of the overall yellow uppersides with heavily dusted black wing margins and the yellow spots bordered with black on the forewing apex. The males are more variable, with different shades of lemon yellow to creamy off-white with a tinge of yellow on the uppersides of the wings and have more intense orange-yellow spots on the forewing apex much like the Great Orange Tip, Hebomoia glaucippe. On the undersides, they have a rather sullied overall yellow appearance because of mottling over a more drab yellow.

While males are commoner under the morning sun visiting flowering bushes and sunning themselves, females seem to be more discreet and prefer nectaring in shaded conditions. They seems to have an affinity for flowers of the Chinese Violet, Asystasia gangetica. Highly localised and rather scarce in lowland forest glades.

Habitat indicator

RSP	WV	PG	VF	FTR	SC	LWDF	LWPF	LMEF	UMN	MN
			X			X

Frequency observation chart: (S marks the usual occurences, H marks an unusually high occurence, F for first record)

2016
Jan	Feb	Mac	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
									S17(F)

2017
Jan	Feb	Mac	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
								S17	S17

An all yellow female taking a rest after being disturbed while nectaring under sun-speckled forested trunk road glades: 08 Oct 2016 @ 16:46. They are commoner towards the late afternoon, nectaring on flowers when the males would have roosted.

Another female came out in the earlier part of a sunny morning to look for nectar: 09 Oct 2016 @ 10:16.

Towards late morning when the sun gets hotter, males come out to nectar and sun themselves on sunny bushes on the forest's edge. Above photos 09 Oct 2016 @10:47

 10:51

 10:51

Above pictures of a rather small male which was yellower on the uppersides.

10:57

A pristine male came out to sun itself on a sunny spot at the edge of the forest. Above pictures 09 Oct 2016.

11:46

 11:47

 11:47

11:48

Above pictures of a yellow-based male: 17 Oct 2016